Light Rail Transit Facilities Design Course

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Urban Design and Streetscapes05.11.2010

Bob Hastings, FAIA

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“Create a civic architecture that is permanent, has a characteristic thread and contributes to its context — one that is not entirely derivative of the transit system, but of the neighborhoods and community of which it is a part.” -TriMet Design Criteria

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How light rail design fits different contexts

• Region• Transit system and

its customers• Community and

neighborhood

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Support regional goals

• Transportation and land use planning

• Community development

• Economic development

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Transit system goals

• Build and expand total transit system

• Minimize impacts and costs

• Enhance:• Access• Safety and

security• Sustainability

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Access and sustainability

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Safety and security

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How light rail fits with urban design

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How light rail fits with urban design

Complement and strengthen:• Urban planning

strategies• Pedestrian oriented

zoning• Transit oriented

‘overlays’

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Urban design objectives

Create design concepts that are:• Aesthetically pleasing• Scalable• Rigorously functional

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How light rail fits with urban design

• Emphasize mixed use and 24/7 activity

• Leverage transit to support:• Economic

development• Safety, security• Educational and

other civic institutions

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Context in urban design

• Urban centers• Town centers• Inter-urban stations• Outer-urban stations• Transitional stations• Suburban stations

and Park & Rides• Special civic places

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Context in urban design

Conditions can utilize different:• Structures• Materials• Component parts

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Streetscapes with light rail

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Streetscapes with Light Rail

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Streetscapes with light rail

• Transit corridors reinforce pedestrian oriented traffic and speeds

• Urban transit corridors reinforce pedestrian oriented ‘main streets’

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Light rail transforms streetscapes

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‘Auto-cratic’ to ‘Demo-cratic’

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Station design objectives

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Station design objectives

• Materials that:• Honor public investment• Are high quality• Easy to maintain

• Balance• system wide identity• individual context

expression

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Factors in station design

• Architecture• Interchange function• Community relationship• Site planning and circulation• Modal hierarchy

• Jurisdictional codes• Zoning and land use• Platforms and shelters• Materials and finishes• Mechanical and electrical

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Basic Station Configurations

• Plan• Side • Center• Offset

• Elevation• Elevated• Below Grade• Underground

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Light rail design objectives

• Platforms should be:• Easily

understood• Friendly• Safe• Efficient

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Public art

• Placemaking• Tying neighborhoods

to region